10 Years Ago

Posted
Tuesday, March 20, 2012 1:00 pm

Ginaitt, mayor lobby against BIG trucks

Bigger is not better. That’s the opinion of Mayor Scott Avedisian and Rep. Peter Ginaitt, who traveled to Washington to lobby Sen. Lincoln Chafee not to mess with regulations on truck sizes and weights. Ironically, Avedisian and Ginaitt could have been preaching to the choir. The Coalition Against Bigger Trucks believed Chafee, a member of the environment and public works committee, is not inclined to allow heavier and longer rigs on the highways.

So why was the coalition prepared to pick up the tab for the mayor and state representative to travel to Washington?

“Because they wanted to make sure the senator knew about it,” said James Doumas, national field director for the coalition, which is largely funded by railroad interests.

The corporation feared the American Trucking Association and other groups supported to great extent by large corporations were bent on a strategy of “patchwork” truck increases across the country.

“It’s definitely not good for our roads,” said Avedisian.

“We’ve reached the point where the highways are in good shape. Let’s keep it that way,” said Ginaitt.

All quiet at Greenwood Bridge, work delays

Work on the Greenwood Bridge has been delayed up to 45 days because Shire Corporation has changed its demolition plan, according to state Department of Transportation officials. Resident engineer Don Murphy said the contractor submitted a new demolition plan to state officials on Feb. 26 to allow its workers to lift beams differently as they disassemble the bridge. Both DOT and Amtrak must approve the changes because the bridge spans the railroad tracks. The process can take up to 45 days. The ultimate completion date has not changed. The $4.5 million project is expected to be finished in Oct. 2003.